


home

by starlightkun



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Mentions of Emotional Abuse, also christmas themed for a minute, but overall is just very fluffy and domestic, its the ~oh im suddenly living with a hot guy~ kind of trope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:43:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26906821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlightkun/pseuds/starlightkun
Summary: in which you get an unexpected roommate while house-sitting for your professor
Relationships: Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas/Reader
Comments: 3
Kudos: 55





	home

“Alright, we’re done for today! I’ll see you all next semester!” Your Literature professor announced, much to the delight of the hundred kids in the lecture hall.

You closed your laptop and started slowly putting it into your bag when you heard him call out your name. “Y/L/N, could I speak with you for a moment?”

“Of course sir!” You called back out to him from your seat towards the back, putting haste into packing up your supplies. Shouldering your bag, you trotted down the steps to the front. The room had cleared out, it was just you and Professor Wong.

Professor Wong was by far your favorite professor. He was an elderly man, just a couple years away from retirement but acted no older than twenty sometimes. There was always a hint of mischief in his eye whenever he spoke to you, as if he could find humor in any situation.

Standing in front of his desk, you awaited him to address you.

“It’s my wife and I’s fifty-fifth anniversary next week,” he began, a fond smile on his face when he mentioned his wife. You’d met her on occasion, she was very lovely.

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you.” Professor Wong cleared his throat as he continued reorganizing his desk. “We are going on vacation to Japan for the full seven weeks of break between terms. Are you staying in Seoul over break?”

“Yes, I have an apartment off-campus with a couple of my friends.”

“You’re not going home for Christmas?”

“My parents are also going on vacation over winter.” You replied, not minding. They had promised a family Christmas when they came back at the end of January.

The professor’s face broke into a wide grin, “Perfect! We’d like you to house-sit for the seven weeks. You’d be compensated very well for your time, I promise. You are the only student of mine I would trust with my home, you know.”

You were caught off-guard, not realizing this was the direction the conversation was heading in. Mr. Wong frequently liked to check in with you and the other couple students he could tolerate outside of class. “Oh, uh sure. Yeah, I can do that.”

“Perfect! Are you available now to come with me and review everything you need to know?”

Looking up at the clock, you realized that this was your very last class of the term, and had no plans other than work later that night. “Yes, I am.”

“Wonderful!”

With that, Professor Wong took off from his classroom at a pace far too brisk for a man of his age. You sped to catch up with him, pulling your coat tighter around yourself at the winter breeze. He kept talking about his plans for the vacation, where he was taking his wife, the cabin they were staying in, all the places they would go. It sounded very lovely to you, and occasionally you’d tell him so, but you mainly just let him talk.

He took several turns away from the college, down the streets you knew led to the richer area of the city. Your apartment was on the opposite side of the university from this neighborhood, where the cheapest prices were. But apparently money was no issue to Professor Wong, seeing as his “house” was actually something akin to a small mansion. You knew that the professors at your university made a good sum of money, but you never thought it was _this_ good.

Inside was even more stylish than the outside, somewhat modern but still maintaining a very lavish classic feel. Every room you went through had you in awe, and you couldn’t imagine being in a hotel this nice let alone living here for seven weeks. And yet you were going to, you realized, as he handed you a key. Professor Wong then started to explain alarm codes, where you could sleep, the thermostat, which windows you were allowed to open, the wifi password, his and his wife’s phone numbers, that the kitchen and any food in the pantry and fridge was free for you to use, how to turn the TVs on, and the phone number for the private security company he had hired in case of an emergency.

Your head was spinning but as he spoke, you had been taking notes on your phone, making sure you knew everything you needed. The tour ended back in the first living room past the foyer (there were three!), where you saw that his wife had come home. You hadn’t even heard her enter, it must have been when you were in the upstairs library, the quietest room in the house according to your professor.

“Y/L/N, you remember my wife Seomyi, correct?” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and you immediately bowed to her.

“Of course, it’s wonderful to meet you again, Mrs. Wong.”

“Please, Y/N, no need to bow so deeply.” She said with her own polite nod. “Thank you so much for doing this for us.”

“Of course, I’m honored to have been asked.” You replied, still taking in your surroundings.

Professor Wong clapped his hands, startling you briefly, “We leave early morning tomorrow, giving you tonight to get all your stuff that you’ll need here. Is that okay?”

You widened your eyes, not realizing that it was so soon. “Oh, of course, of course.”

“Wonderful, see you here at 7 tomorrow then!”

* * *

It had been just under a week since you waved goodbye to the Wongs, and you’d adjusted to your new surroundings, falling into a schedule. First, you’d wake up and make yourself breakfast. There were so many different kinds of food in the house that you’ve been able to have a different dish every morning.

Humming to yourself, you would play your music over the speakers that went throughout the entire building. After your very musical breakfast, you usually decided to explore the house, Mr. Wong’s tour had been very brief and you were too busy trying to get everything he was saying to really look at each room. Every time you would find something new.

Beside the kitchen was one of the living rooms, a large plasma TV along the wall. You couldn’t imagine Professor Wong using it all too much, he had said that it mainly got use when his grandkids would come over. He didn’t speak of them frequently, but when he did it was always with a bittersweetness to his voice, as if he hadn’t seen them in years.

A wet bar was also inside the house, something that you knew would definitely get more use by your professor than the TV. It was accompanied by a billiards table, and hung up on the wall behind it was a framed picture. It was of him and a few of your other professors as well as other people you didn’t know, all looking much younger than now, and standing around the pool table holding their own cue sticks. The gold engraving beneath it said ‘1977 Buzzing Billiards Club’, something that meant little to you, but still brought a smile to your face.

Continuing on, you would always end up in the second floor library. It was floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall covered in books. You wondered to yourself if Professor Wong had actually read all of these, or if he had just accumulated them through his years. Grazing your eyes over the spines, you saw a few familiar books, ones he had your class read, and others that you’d never heard of. If you had time before your shift, you’d try to read a few chapters of one, to see if it interested you.

Today when you left the library after your short reading session, you were only halfway down the stairs when you heard your music get interrupted by a garish buzz. Realizing that was the doorbell, you rushed down the rest of the steps, hoping that whoever was at the door wouldn’t leave. They definitely weren’t, seeing as the buzzing was not relenting. Professor Wong had said that you would need to sign for any packages he might receive, so you just assumed that’s who it was. No other sorts of visitors had come since the neighbors on the first day to introduce themselves.

Not even looking at the feed of the security cameras for fear of the deliveryman leaving, you swung the door open quickly.

Standing there was a very tall man, running his hands anxiously through his light brown hair. He was probably around your age, and wasn’t wearing a uniform for any kind of delivery service. In fact, he wasn’t even dressed for the weather, in nothing more than a t-shirt and sweatpants. Whatever he was about to say stopped as his mouth gaped open for a moment, handsome face staring at you blankly. Blinking, he switched trains of thought to say, “You’re not my grandfather.”

 _This_ was one of Professor Wong’s grandkids? Whenever he spoke of them, you had always imagine them as little kids. Not this. “Ah, no. I’m Y/L/N Y/N, one of Professor Wong’s Literature students at the university. He asked me to house sit while he and Mrs. Wong went on vacation.”

“Well, when is he going to be back?”

“About six weeks.”

“Aish,” He rubbed his face, and you took in his appearance again. His face was flushed: nose, cheeks, and ears a bright red from the cold, and you couldn’t imagine that the rest of him was much warmer.

“Would you like to come in?” You offered, worrying about how long he’d already been out in the cold, not wanting the poor boy to get hypothermia.

His eyes narrowed thoughtfully for a moment, “How do you even know I’m actually his grandson? What if this is just a ploy to get inside the house and rob him?”

“I have a private security company on speed dial that can be here in less than two minutes, there are cameras everywhere so your face is on record. Not to mention that I would not hesitate to take a cricket bat to your head.”

The man’s face broke into a wide grin, and in that moment there was no doubt to you that he was Professor Wong’s grandson, their smiles were identical. “Alright, cool.”

Moving aside to let him in, you were grateful to shut the door, starting to get quite cold yourself. He let out a quiet groan of satisfaction, presumably from the warmth flooding out of the air vents. “Thank you, Y/N.”

“You’re welcome.” You replied, walking past him towards the kitchen. “Would you like something warm to drink? Or eat? I still have leftovers from breakfast. They’re a little cold, but a minute in the microwave will fix that.”

“I’m okay, thank you. Not really hungry.” The man who you still didn’t know the name of declined, continuing to rub his arms as he ventured further into the house, looking around in awe. “Man, I haven’t been in here in years. Hasn’t changed a bit.”

“So, uh, what’s your name?”

“Oh, right, sorry. I’m Wong Yukhei, or Wong Lucas, whatever really. I’m not picky.”

Lucas offered you a polite nod when he introduced himself, then went back to gazing at the rooms.

“Okay, Lucas. Why did you come here?” You saw that he was still rubbing at his arms, and the redness hadn’t faded yet. Just looking at him made you sympathetically shiver. “Jeez! You’re still freezing, do you want a blanket or a jacket or something? Did you walk here in this weather?”

He smiled again at your concern, looking at what he was wearing. “Yeah this probably wasn’t the smartest outfit, hm? Well, I came to see my grandfather to ask him something. And, yeah, I’ll take you up on the jacket. If you have one in my size, I’m kind of a giant.”

“You’re one lucky giant, because I happen to like oversized hoodies. Give me two minutes.”

A small chuckle came from Lucas, watching as you retreated from the room. Pulling your phone out, you immediately texted Mr. Wong, needing to double check the validity of the man you had let into his house.

[you: Sorry to bother you, sir, but do you have a grandson named Wong Yukhei?]

His response took the entirety of the time for you to grab a fresh hoodie, the largest one you owned.

[Professor Wong: I haven’t seen Yukhei in years! Is he still there?]

[you: Yes, he said he had something to ask you.]

[Professor Wong: I think I know what it is. Would you mind if he stayed with you until I returned? I’m afraid that his home life isn’t stable at the moment, it’s what would be safest for him.]

At this news, you stopped just at the corner where you would turn to get back to the room you had left Lucas in. Out of sight from the boy, you felt your eyes widen. Was that why he had been so anxious when you first opened the door?

[you: Of course I don’t mind. I’ll let him know.]

[Professor Wong: Thank you, Y/N. Also tell him that Seomyi and I missed him very much.]

He had never ever called you by your first name, that being one of his quirks. The mention of his grandson must have thrown him off.

[you: I will.]

With that, you returned your phone to your pocket, and entered the living room with a bright smile. You held the grey sweatshirt out to Lucas, “Here, this should fit you.”

“Ah, thanks.” He accepted it, pulling the garment over his head, mussing up his hair in the process.

“Also I spoke with Professor Wong, he requested that you stay here until he returned from vacation. And he also said that he and Mrs. Wong miss you very much.”

At that, a soft smile came to the boy’s features, making your throat constrict. How could he have gotten more attractive?

Clearing his throat, he seemed almost embarrassed as he went to try to change the topic. “So, does that mean you’ll also be living here?”

“Yes, I’m still the house-sitter.”

“Okay, cool.”

* * *

Since Lucas had moved in—is that the right phrase? It was more like a temporary roommate situation, and also in a house that wasn’t yours—with you, you found your days in Professor Wong’s house a lot less lonely. You enjoyed having someone to cook breakfast for, or on the rare occasion, who would cook breakfast for you. 

He didn’t have much else to do during the day like you, so you’d be together for most of the day. You now had a reading buddy; you had started a tradition where you would pick a book for each other, and read until either one of you got bored or hungry again. 

Over lunch, you’d talk about the contents of the books you’d read. It was difficult finding one for Lucas, as he could always find something he disliked about your selection for him. But never once did he request you to stop.

Since he’d defrosted, there was a constant mischievous glint in Lucas’ eyes, akin to Professor Wong’s own, but Lucas was always much more verbal and brash when it came to teasing you. You knew he just liked to watch your reactions, which didn’t bother you, he never did take it too far. It was nice having a friend with you.

Sometimes you’d go out for lunch, but that was usually limited to somewhere very casual and very close, seeing as his only clothing options were your oversized hoodies, the clothes he came in on the first day, and whatever he could pull from his grandfather’s closet that would fit him and that he could actually tolerate wearing. He never once went back to his house to get his own clothes. And you never suggested it to him, Professor Wong’s warning etched into your brain.

After seeing him wear the same outfit for the fifth time in a week, and knowing that he hadn’t washed it between wears because you hadn’t done laundry in a week and a half, you were over it.

“Aright, we’re going shopping.” You declared after you had finished your lunch in the living room that day. Lucas’ music was playing over the speakers at the moment, a tune that was a little more intense than yours tended to be.

“Are we out of food?” He questioned, habitually stretching, which also put his pit stains on full view.

“No, clothes shopping. For you.” You gestured to said pit stains, and he immediately lowered his arms, wrapping them protectively around himself.

“I’ll just wash these again.”

“Lucas, for heavens sake, you need real clothes.”

“I have real clothes.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, at home.”

Surprised that he had mentioned his home, you pretended to brighten up at this idea, “Well then let’s go get them!”

The man immediately froze, and you saw the large hand resting on his knee start shaking before he suddenly became energetic again. “Actually, I _could_ use some new clothes. I’ll go change and then we can head out.”

“Okay!”

After you had also changed and piled on your layers, you were tying your boots in the kitchen when Lucas walked out from the guest bedroom he had claimed as his. He was back in the original pair of sweatpants he had arrived in, and your hoodie with one of Professor Wong’s large overcoats on top. Paired with his sneakers—which were his only pair of shoes—it was a mess of an outfit. And you doubted how well it could actually keep him warm. But you knew that was really all the warm stuff he had.

“I’m calling us a taxi, no way are you walking to the mall in those, you’ll get hypothermia before we even get there.” You declared, shaking your head as you opened the dial pad on your phone.

“I’ll be plenty warm,” Lucas tried to argue, to which you merely raised an eyebrow.

“Fine. But _I’ll_ freeze to death, so I’m still calling the taxi.”

Right as you firmly pressed the call button, you nearly dropped your phone when two long arms wrapped around you from behind, pulling you back into a chest. A very warm chest.

“I’ll keep you warm, I’m like a human space heater.” As Lucas spoke, you could feel his deep voice rumbling through his chest.

Tightening your grip on your phone, you tried to maintain your composure as you attempted to wriggle out of his grip while simultaneously speaking to the man at the taxi company who had picked up the phone.

“Hello, yes, I need a taxi. My address?” You tried to come up with the address, but your mind had blanked as soon as Lucas had touched you, and he still hadn’t let you go. “Uhm—”

Lucas took your phone, still clutching you tight to him with his free hand as he spoke into the phone. At this point you’d given up on escape, begrudgingly allowing yourself to enjoy the moment, knowing that it would be brief. He perfectly recited the professor’s address, and you felt almost mortified at what the operator could’ve thought was happening with the sudden switch to a male voice.

“Alright, thank you.” He said before hanging up, releasing you, and then offering your phone out to you.

Snatching it from his hand, you tried to cover your flustered demeanor with a scowl. “You’re annoying.”

“Perhaps.”

“Not perhaps, definitely.”

That crooked wide grin was on Lucas’ face as he just stared at your for a moment, obviously waiting for you to crack. Which you did—you always did—letting out a sigh followed by a brief chuckle.

“So when is our taxi going to be here?”

“Six minutes.”

True to their word, the taxi was in fact pulling up in front of the house six minutes later. Practically shoving Lucas out the door, you closed it and put in the code, then the manual lock. Professor Wong liked a lot of security. Insistent as ever, you forced Lucas into the warm taxi first, then scooted yourself in beside him.

Giving the driver your destination, you relaxed back into the seat of the small car, opting to watch the buildings pass by. A familiar building came to view. “Hey, there’s my apartment building!”

Lucas leaned over you to peer out your window where you had gestured, and he was just all too close again. “Neat.”

When he sat back up, a breath you didn’t realize you’d been holding was released. You wished he’d stop doing things like that, or that he didn’t have such an oblivious but powerful control over you.

The taxi came to a stop at the sidewalk in front of the entrance, and you reached into your wallet to pay the fare. Thanking the driver, you exited the car, waiting for Lucas to walk around from the other side. As you two made your way to the entrance, he reached into his pocket to bring out his own wallet. “How much do I owe you to split the fare?”

“Don’t worry about it, Lucas.”

He began to protest, but you stood firm, “You’re about to buy yourself a bunch of clothes, I’m not. Use your money for that, I don’t mind.”

“I’m buying dinner tonight then. A good dinner, a _nice_ dinner. Not pizza for the tenth time.”

“Fine, whatever. But first you need to get clothes that you can actually _wear_ to a nice dinner.” You pointed out, poking his side as he held the door open for you.

As you entered, you could barely see through the crowds of people. “Why are there so many people here?”

“Christmas Eve is tomorrow.” Lucas pointed out, nonchalantly taking your hand in his much larger and much warmer one. At your curious look, he explained, “So I don’t lose you.”

As heat rushed to your cheeks, you wished that he wasn’t such a big flirt. But at the same time you couldn’t deny that you weren’t enjoying it. In the moment it was nice, however you knew nothing would come of it, that’s just who he was.

“Oh shit, is it?” You went back to your original question, not even realizing how quickly the days had passed.

“Yep.”

“So what are we going to do for Christmas, then? Unless you’ve got a family dinner or something to attend, I completely understand.”

Lucas shook his head firmly, grip on your hand tightening ever so slightly when you mentioned family. “I’m not going to leave you alone on Christmas.”

“Thanks,” You grinned, his sweet words going right to your heart. “So then what are we going to do? I can take care of breakfast, eggnog pancakes are a Christmas morning must.”

“There’s a park near my grandfather’s house that always has Christmas lights on display, we could walk through there.”

“That sounds lovely.” Nodding approvingly, your eyes trailed to the shop windows. “Are we going to do presents? I know we haven’t known each other too long, but I don’t think anybody should be without some kind of gift on Christmas.”

“Isn’t my presence enough of a gift?” He asked, feigning offense.

You elbowed his side, “Not really, you’re kind of a pain.”

“So are you.” Lucas scoffed, but pursued it no further, going back to the topic. “I think presents would be nice. Nothing really expensive or anything.”

“I agree.”

Despite the crowd thinning around you, Lucas didn’t let go of your hand, and you didn’t point it out.

“But first things first, you’re getting clothes.” You said pointedly, remembering why you had originally came.

Lucas seemed to know where he wanted to go, leading you from store to store, browsing through racks upon racks of clothes and using you to gauge outfits. He didn’t ever take your advice, but still asked you for it every time.

Tired and with only two shirts and a pair of pants bought, you needed a break. “I’m going to the food court. Find me there when you’re done, okay?”

There was a pout on his face, “Okay, I’ll be real quick then!”

Slipping out of the store and back into the crowds, you decided to try to find a present for Lucas while you were here. You liked to think that you were good at gift-giving, but drew a blank for your new friend. You hadn’t known him that long, but after living together for almost two weeks, you figured you would’ve known at least enough to get a somewhat decent present.

A small display of earrings caught your eye. Lucas always had the same pair of small gold hoops in his ears, maybe he’d appreciate a new pair. Spinning the display around, your eyes hungrily went over every style before finding one you thought he might like. They were silver hoops each with a small square pyramid dangling from it. You could easily see him wearing these. Hopefully.

With those purchased and tucked into your purse, you actually made your way to the food court.

Thirty minutes of scrolling on your phone and texting your roommates to make sure they hadn’t burned down your apartment yet passed, and you still hadn’t seen Lucas. Either he had found an entire closet worth of clothes, or nothing at all.

Your phone binged with the distinct text tone you’d set for Professor Wong.

[Professor Wong: Just checking in on you and Yukhei, how is everything going?]

[you: Great, we’re out for a little bit because he needed to get new clothes. We’ll be back in the house soon.]

[Professor Wong: Thank you again, Y/N. Merry Christmas!]

You weren’t sure if he was thanking you for house-sitting or for being with his grandson, and you had a hunch it was a bit of both. He had called you by your first name.

[you: You’re welcome, Professor Wong. Merry Christmas, and enjoy the rest of your vacation!]

As soon as you’d pressed send on the text, you looked up from your phone to see the tall figure of Lucas making his way towards your table. Bags lined his arms, he really had found a whole closet worth of clothes to get. You briefly wondered how he could afford it, musing about if his whole family had money and that his grandfather’s expensive house hadn’t come from his teaching salary.

But you were snapped from your thoughts at the blinding proud smile he had on his handsome face as he proclaimed, “All done!”

“Alright, I’ll call for the taxi back.” You offered your mostly-drank and room temperature latte out to Lucas with your free hand, “Peppermint Mocha, if you’d like.”

His own hands were full, so he lowered his mouth to the straw, drinking happily as you dialed the number for the taxi company. Partway through the call slurping sounds met your ears, Lucas had already finished the coffee. Looking at him with a bewildered expression, he merely shrugged in response.

After you finished the call you took a few of his bags in your hands to help him carry them out to the taxi. The backseat was much more crowded now that you had all of Lucas’ bags too, and you were tempted to look at them.

“So what clothes did you get?” You peered into one, but his hand immediately went to close the bag in his grip.

“No! It’s a surprise!” He declared, making you roll your eyes.

“I already saw it, it was just a pair of jeans.”

“Oh okay, that’s not the surprise. I don’t remember what bag it’s in though, or which one has your present, so you can’t look at any of them.”

“Alright, fair enough.”

* * *

Back at the house, you were relieved to see that everything was in order, something you always checked when you would come back from being out. After all, despite it feeling like you were just living with your friend, you were still house-sitting for your professor. Lucas had gone to his room to put his haul away, leaving you to your own devices for a bit.

You took off your boots and your many layers, leaving you just in some socks, pants, and a sweater, you decided to go back to the library to continue reading the book Lucas had chosen for you that morning. It was a book of poems, something you wouldn’t have pinned him to read upon first impression. But as you continued reading, you could tell why he liked them so much. They were all about escapism, freedom, finding love and happiness. If his home really was like what Professor Wong had suggested it being, these were all the things he had longed for. To escape, to be free, to be loved, and to be happy. You reckoned that’s why he’d come to his grandfather’s house, to escape. And you hoped that he did feel happy here.

There was suddenly a crackle over the speakers, following by the booming voice of Lucas, “Y/L/N Y/N, your presence is requested in the foyer. Again, Y/L/N Y/N, your presence is requested in the foyer.”

Standing up, you walked to the panel by the door, pressing the button to speak into the microphone, your own voice blaring through the house now. “You’re so dramatic.”

This time his voice turned whiny, “Please, Y/N?”

“I’ll be there in a few.”

As you left the library, you couldn’t help but laugh at his ecstatic ‘yes!’ that came through the loudspeaker. Wondering if this was the surprise he had mentioned earlier, you took your time walking down the stairs.

Turning the corner to the foyer, you saw Lucas practically bouncing on his toes as he waited for you.

“Wow, not pajamas.” You awed in approval, taking in his outfit.

He had on navy blue suit pants, real dress shoes, and a tucked-in crisp white button-down with the top two buttons open. He’d even gone so far as to get a watch too, the leather strap secured around his wrist, peeking out of where his hands were stuffed in his pockets.

“So you like the outfit?” Lucas cheekily asked despite already knowing the answer, tilting his head innocently.

“Yeah, but are these for dinner?” You asked worriedly, fidgeting with the hem of your worn sweater.

“Of course! I said it’d be a nice dinner!”

“I don’t have clothes that nice…”

“Are you sure?”

You thought for a moment, then remembered the black dress tucked into the very back of your closet from your Public Speaking class freshman year. “I might have something.”

* * *

So that’s how you ended up in your apartment with Lucas, ordering him to wait for you in your quite small living room area while you went into your room. Thankfully, Jiwoo and Jinyoung appeared to be out, so you could avoid assumptioms and interrogations.

Your closet was barren from packing most of your clothes for your stay at Professor Wong’s, making it extremely easy to find your dress. Now to see if it fit.

Surprisingly it did, and you could even zip it up all by yourself. Grabbing a matching pair of black booties to attempt to keep your toes warm, you padded back out to where Lucas was.

“How nice is this place you’re thinking of, anyway? Do I need to do hair and makeup too?” You asked, sitting on your couch to pull your socks on, then your shoes.

When Lucas hadn’t replied, you looked up at him expectantly. “Lucas!”

“Oh, sorry! It’s a really nice dress, it suits you very well.” He complimented casually before answering your question. “You don’t need hair and makeup, I promise. Well, maybe you should brush your hair at least, the wind kind of messed it up.”

“On it.” You stood up to walk back to your bathroom for your hairbrush.

With your hair fixed, you walked back out to him, putting on your black coat and grabbing your purse. “Ready!”

Lucas slipped his own heavy jacket back on before gesturing for you to lead the way out. You locked your door behind you, then set out with Lucas. He had insisted that the restaurant was close enough to your apartment to not need a taxi.

You didn’t know of any nice restaurant within walking distance of your home, but you were done with squabbling over it with him. If he wanted to give you both frostbite, that was his prerogative. Chatting as you walked, you continued discussing Christmas Day plans, compiling a list of movies to watch as well what dinner would be that night. Neither of you wanted to cook an enormous meal, agreeing to just order some takeout when the evening came. But tonight, your dinner would be nice. Really nice, as evident by the fancy building you stopped in front of.

And you had stopped because of the line coming out the door, couples freezing their asses off as they waited for a table.

“Oh, come on!” Lucas groaned, and you sighed.

“It is the day before Christmas Eve, everyone is going on their Christmas dates.” You grabbed his arm to continue dragging him down the street. “Come on, I know somewhere that won’t be so crowded.”

Ten minutes later and you were sat in a booth in the corner of a lazy American-style diner, your nice clothes out of place against the bright red vinyl everything was upholstered with. A menu had been handed to you by a teenage girl who very clearly didn’t want to be there. You were the only customers in the restaurant, talking quietly amongst yourselves.

“I don’t think they’re very happy we’re here.” Lucas whispered from across from you as he opened his menu.

“Well they’re getting paid, how upset can they really be?” You shook it off, looking over the options. “I’m ready, what about you?”

Lucas sighed, still nervously looking over at the kitchen every few seconds as he deliberated his own meal choices. “Okay, I think I’m good.”

You waved the girl over again, and she took her time in approaching your table. “So what can I get for you all?”

“I’ll have the mac and cheese with fries, and a chocolate milkshake please.”

She took your menu, then looked at Lucas expectantly. He ordered himself a hamburger, waiting for her to leave before looking at you with a bewildered expression. “A milkshake? In this weather? Are you crazy?”

“Uh, yeah. Just a bit.”

You kept talking as you waited for your food, which took much too long for you being the only patrons in the diner. That didn’t bother you all too much, just enjoying your time with Lucas. The familiarity and comfort you felt with him was incredible to you. You didn’t really know him.

Sure, you knew _him_ , his personality, his likes and dislikes, his sense of humor, his morals, his thoughts on life and the universe, but nothing about his _life_. He didn’t like to talk about his family, except if you brought up his grandfather. You knew almost nothing about his life outside this house; if he went to college as well, if he had siblings, or if he had a girlfriend. The girlfriend seemed unlikely to you seeing as how he was staying at his grandfather’s house, and never had visitors and never went out to visit anyone. And you’d seen his wallpaper too, his lockscreen being a group picture with a mass of boys you guessed were all his friends, and his homescreen was him and a small puppy named Ichio.

Ichio was Lucas’ absolute favorite subject to talk about, he could go on and on for hours about his big dumb mutt that he loved so much. Whenever he talked about Ichio, it was amusing to you how much it sounded like how you’d describe Lucas. Once you’d asked why he didn’t bring Ichio to the house, but he said that his grandmother was very allergic to dogs, much to her own dismay.

You were tempted to ask about his family, seeing as Christmas was coming up, and you’d be calling your own parents that day. But before you could, the girl came back with your food, and conversation ceased as you immediately began eating.

When your mac and cheese was finished, and your fries were halfway gone (courtesy to Lucas), you still hadn’t touched your milkshake. You could tell that Lucas was waiting for you to drink it and immediately regret the decision. So, with minimal fanfare, you stuck a red straw into it, brought it to your mouth, and took a long sip. Stopping right on the verge of brain freeze, you set out a satisfied ‘ah’.

“You’re crazy.” He shook his head in disappointment, only making you laugh lightly.

“It’s good, try it.” You pushed it towards him. He looked at it for a moment before giving in, the bright red straw being enveloped between his lips as he drank. His eyes widened as he kept drinking, until almost half of it was gone.

“Woah, that's— fuck!” He got cut off, clutching his head with one hand and the other clenched into a tight fist. “Brain freeze! _Holy shit!_ ”

You immediately broke down, laughing so hard until there were tears in your eyes, wiping fervently at them as you tried to calm down. Your sides were hurting as you tried to sputter out a retort, “It's— it’s k-karma, bitch!”

As you had been laughing, his pain had lessened enough for him to open his eyes, watching you with a fond expression across his features. Coming down from your airy haze, you still had a grin on your face, taking your drink back. Your breakdown hadn’t even fazed the workers, nobody gave you a second glance.

Lucas popped one of your fries in his mouth then glanced at his new watch. “It’s almost midnight, when do you want to go home?”

_Home._

As if it was _your_ home.

_Together._

This fully sobered you up from your laughing fit, freezing for a moment before taking an anxious sip of the milkshake. “Uh, after I finish this, I guess.”

You finished your meal in near silence, Lucas eating the last of your food while you took your time in drinking your shake, not needing a repeat of your friend’s mistake. After he had insisted again on paying, you both stood up, you having to unstick your thighs from the vinyl as you did so. The employees gave some kind of grumble in response to your cheerful thank you as you two left.

As soon as you stepped out of the diner, you immediately wanted to go back inside. The cold air alone would’ve been horrible, but the wind nipping at every piece of bare skin made it insufferable.

“Taxi, taxi, we’re calling a taxi!” You declared, fishing your phone from your purse.

Lucas didn’t even argue this time, huddling with you in the inlay of the doors to the diner. The closed sign had suspiciously been flipped on and the doors themselves locked, probably to prevent the both of you from coming back in. You quickly sputtered out where you were, and the man replied that the taxi would be there in eight minutes.

“Eight minutes!” You spat out after hanging up, numb fingers fumbling at the clasp of your purse to shakily put your phone away. “My fucking legs are going to fall off before then!”

“Here, come here.” Lucas requested gently, large hands grabbing your waist and your arm to pull you towards him.

He pressed you into his chest and his arms held you tight there. He then turned you both so that his back was to the street and you were tucked neatly into the corner, protecting you from the wind in a bubble of his warmth. The final step that twisted your heart to the brink of bursting was when he rested his chin on top of your head, and you could’ve sworn you felt him press a feather-light peck to your hair.

His claims of being a human spaceheater weren’t wrong, you were plenty warm. And absolutely fucked, you admitted to yourself. This was the final nail in your coffin. Unsure of if he knew exactly what he was doing to you, you mumbled out a half-hearted refusal, one that he denied by squeezing his arms around you tighter. Your heart was hammering loudly in your ears, amplified by Lucas’ own that you hear clearly from your current position.

Giving up, you readjusted your head into a more comfortable position, nuzzling yourself further into his chest. Unless your ears were playing tricks on you, his heartbeat picked up, and his breathing became ever-so-slightly quicker and shallower once you’d done that.

Your ears had to be playing tricks on you.

Maybe.

“Y/N?” He murmured, low voice rumbling through his chest.

“Yes, Lucas?”

“Why do you call me Lucas?”

Your brows furrowed at his question. You didn’t know what you were expecting, but not that. “When we met, you said I could call you either Lucas or Yukhei. I chose Lucas. Does it bother you?”

“No, I just didn’t know if there was a specific reason why.”

“Your grandfather calls you Yukhei, would you rather I call you that?”

“You talk to my grandfather about me?” As he spoke, you could hear the smug smile in his voice.

With the little movement you could manage, you pinched his side indignantly. He chuckled, rubbing a hand apologetically along your back. “Actually, I think I would.”

“Then I will, Yukhei.”

“Sounds nice, coming from you.”

You weren’t sure of how much time had passed as you spoke, but a honk startled you into snapping your head up, knocking it right into Yukhei’s jaw. He immediately let you go, cradling his jaw as a small string of curses came from his mouth. “I bit my tongue!”

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, Yukhei!” You were already shivering without his warmth. “Come on, our taxi is here.”

* * *

Christmas Day, you expected to have woken up with the sunrise as you normally did, but instead it was already very bright outside. Looking at the time, you were surprised to see that it was almost ten. And it was freezing inside the house. Putting on a hoodie over your sweater, then a pair of fuzzy socks, you treaded out of the bedroom. There was noise coming from the bathroom down the hall, you guessed that Yukhei was already up.

As you had promised, you started on your eggnog pancakes, taking over the speakers to play some holiday music. Plating the last pancake, you frowned when you realized that Yukhei still hadn’t come out to the kitchen. You decided to investigate, and as you got closer to the bathroom, you could hear the shower still running.

“Lucas!”

No response.

“Yukhei, breakfast is ready!”

Still nothing.

“Wong Yukhei you better get out of the damn shower in five minutes or so help me I will turn off the hot water!”

“You don’t even know how to!” He finally replied, sounding as if he had no intention to leave any time soon.

“Yeah, but five minutes is plenty of time for me to search up how to!”

“Fine, I’ll be out in like two minutes!”

Satisfied, you returned to the kitchen to wait for him. Three minutes later, he emerged from the hallway with damp hair and a very familiar garment on.

“You have your own clothes now, could I please have my hoodie back?” You pleaded, gesturing to the grey hoodie.

“Merry Christmas to you too. I forgot that this wasn’t mine. Sorry.” He grabbed at the sleeves, pulling it off. Underneath, he had a plain t-shirt, and almost immediately got goosebumps along his arms. “Why is it so cold in this damn house? I’m getting another jacket.”

Without another word, he left the kitchen to go back towards his bedroom. You inspected the clothing in your hands. It had just been washed yesterday, but after being worn solely by Lucas for so long it smelled just like him, as if it was never your own. Self-indulgent as ever, you swapped your orange sweatshirt out for this one. Feeling very content, you nuzzled into the sweater paws on your hands for a moment.

God, why were you being like this?

It was a dumb fantasy you’d built in your head, feeling as though Yukhei was your boyfriend. He was definitely some kind of friend to you, but you were almost completely sure that when Professor Wong came back in three weeks and you went back to your apartment, you’d never see him again. This was a temporary thing, a happenstance that had just sort of… happened. He was probably only flirting with you because you were the only female he’d been around in three weeks, and was around 24/7. Would he even remember you in a month?

You decided that he wouldn’t, and that you’d enjoy whatever this was while you could.

Yukhei returned just then in his own black hoodie, head tilted ever so slightly, eyes big and mouth parted as he looked at you. It was eerily similar to when you’d first opened the door to him. You wondered what was going through his head, feeling very self-conscious.

“Yuk?”

“Uh, nothing. Just forgot again— not my hoodie.” His second comment seemed more directed at himself as he shook his head, then gestured to small gift bag in his hand. “I figured we could do presents after breakfast.”

“Oh, sure!”

You each grabbed a plate of pancakes before going into the living room. Settling onto the floor in front of the couch to set your plates on the coffee table, you began a rather pleasant conversation. As soon as Yukhei had popped the last bite of his last pancake into his mouth, he reached to grab the bag. “Presents!”

Not even bothering to argue that you weren’t done with your own food, you stood up to retrieve his present from the drawer of another side table in the living room. Sitting back down in front of him, you exchanged the small red box for the gift bag.

“Are we opening these at the same time or?” You questioned, fingers messing with the tissue paper sticking haphazardly out the top.

“Same time.”

As you took out the tissue paper, you watched him out of the corner of your eye to see his reaction. His eyes lit up when he took the earrings out, holding them up to get a better look at them. “These are so cool!”

“I’m glad you like them.” You smiled, finishing opening yours.

It was a package of tea, and according to the label, it was chai tea. There was also a mug, and when you took it out, the adorable face of a penguin was revealed to you. “Oh my god, it’s so cute! Thank you!”

“You don’t know how relieved I am.” He let out a deep breath, soft smile spread across his face. “I was so worried you would hate it.”

“No, I love it!” You put the tissue paper back in the bag, standing up with a long stretch. “I think a cup of tea and a book is in order now.”

“Then Christmas lights after?”

“Sure.”

Today, you didn’t choose for each other, instead selecting your own books to read. You still hadn’t finished that book of poems Lucas had given you a few days ago, and you were now determined to finish it today. Securing it in your hand, you sat in one of the armchairs in the library, fingering through the pages until you found where you had left off.

There was a vague storyline going through the whole book, an arc of some kind that connected all the poems. A journey that the narrator is going on, one that you can’t understand, but you can still fully feel it through the words. They’re leaving behind something awful, and finding themself and their place among a blissful, chaotic freedom.

Just as you read the very last line of the book—a breathtakingly beautiful line—you heard the familiar deep voice of Yukhei call out to you.

“Alright, I’m bored. Christmas lights?”

Closing the book, you looked up at where he was standing in front of you, blocking out the fluorescent light from above. “Fine, go get dressed.”

Like a little kid on—well, on Christmas, he ran out of the library, and you trailed behind, thoughts still with the poems. He hadn’t commented on the fact that you were reading them again. Maybe they didn’t have as deep a meaning as you thought.

* * *

The park wasn’t very far from the house, which you were very happy about. Strolling through the park, you were in a delighted awe at the beautiful lights hung about the area. They were along the tree trunks, among the leaves and branches, different colors illuminating everything around them. A thin layer of snow was on the ground and the trees, adding to the Winter Wonderland feeling around you.

You walked arm in arm with Yukhei, admiring the view and talking.

“Ichio would love it here.” Yukhei commented, kicking at a pile of snow. “The snow doesn’t bother him at all, he’d run around and around until he got frostbite if I let him.”

Giggling at the comment, you continued on the path. “Where is Ichio? I’d love to meet him.”

“Uhm, he’s at home. I can’t bring him to my grandfather’s house, because of my grandmother’s allergy.”

“Right, I forgot.” Realizing that you’d unintentionally brought up a sore subject for him, you changed the topic. The poems you’d read earlier were still on your mind. “Do you believe in fate, Yukhei?”

“Well that was out of the blue.” He commented, but went on to answer nonetheless. “Yeah, I do. Do you?”

“Uh, no.” You snorted, making him raise an eyebrow. “I mean, come on, a mysterious force in the Universe deciding everything for us? Thats just fucking ridiculous and frankly, dehumanizing.”

“So you think that me showing up at the front door that day wasn’t fate?” He questioned, a smirk on his face.

“Nope. Serendipitous, sure. Fate? No way.”

“So then you believe that we’re completely in control of our lives?”

“Nah, that’s also dumb.”

“So then what do you think?”

“I think that the choices we’re presented with are predetermined, but what we actually choose is all up to us.”

Yukhei took a moment to muse over your philosophy. “So, we have controlled choices?”

“I call it limited free will.” You then gave an example, “Like children getting to choose what snack to eat. Their parent offers them crackers or a cheese stick. They get to choose which one they want, but the parent still made the decision of what to offer them.”

“That’s a little cynical, comparing us all to children.”

“And if you extend the metaphor, the Universe is our parent, so I think it’s a little more romantic than cynical.”

“Fair enough.” Yukhei nodded, letting go of your arm to wrap his around your shoulders, pulling you much closer to him. “But I’m still going to call this fate.”

“Let go of me, you big dumb idiot!” Your protests were mumbled against his thick coat.

“Hm? Did you say 'Oh Yukhei, please, I’m so cold! Hold me tighter?’”

You then resorted to hitting his arm with your gloved hand. “Let me go!”

“Fine, fine.”

Once he let you go, you glared up at him, met with the smug and too cute face of Yukhei. “I hate you.”

“No you don’t.” Linking his arm with yours once again, he continued your walk.

* * *

That night, you were curled up with your laptop on the couch in the second living room, which wasn’t as frequently inhabited by you and your makeshift roommate. Making it even more peaceful and opportune for you to video call your parents, as they had promised to you when they told you of their trip.

“Merry Christmas, sweetheart!” They greeted you as they waved, and you could already feel the smile creeping across your lips.

“Merry Christmas! How are the mountains?”

As they talked about their trip, you just listened, adding your input on occasion. Apparently at one point they lost all heat in the cabin they were renting, and had to stay the night in a hotel in the small town at the base of the mountain. And every morning, according to your mother, a family of deer hang around by the porch while your parents eat breakfast.

“Ah, that sounds great, I’m glad you guys are having such a good time.”

“We’re sorry we couldn’t have Christmas together. But please tell me you didn’t spend all day alone in that big house.” Your father said, and you sat up straighter, excited to tell them about your own day.

“Actually, I didn’t! My friend and I had breakfast together, and we went out to this park with the most beautiful display of lights.”

“Wonderful! Was it Jiwoo or Jinyoung?” Your mother asked with a grin.

“I have other friends besides them, Mom.” You scoffed, and when you had briefly look away from your screen, your eyes got caught on a familiar figure in the doorway to the living room. Yukhei was waiting there patiently, a worryingly forlorn expression across his face.

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, yeah. Uhm, I’ve got to go, I just realized that I forgot to set the alarm for the night.”

“Okay, bye honey!”

“Bye Mom, bye Dad!”

Quickly hanging up the call, you shut your laptop and gestured him over.

“I’m sorry for interrupting your call with your parents.” He mumbled as he sat down.

“Don’t be. What’s wrong, Yukhei?” You were much more concerned about him than the deer family.

“Ah,” He coughed awkwardly, trying to choose his words. “You love your parents?”

“Of course. What’s wrong?”

Yukhei bit his lip, shaking his head as he tried to hold back tears. Your heart stung as you scooted closer to him, resting a hand on his forearm, “Is it something with your own parents?”

“Yeah.”

And that’s when the first tear fell. At first he looked like someone crying in a movie scene, but it eventually developed into full blown ugly sobs as he let you cradle him to your chest. Soft murmurs and reassuring words from you mixed in with his occasional hiccups and whimpers as he dampened your shirt. A few incoherent words and phrases would come from him, but he would always get himself more worked up if he tried to talk, so every time you would shush him gently, weaving your fingers through his soft locks.

When he finally had enough of his wits about him and his tears were receding, he sat up, wiping at his nose with the sleeve of his hoodie. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry—”

“Yukhei.” You cut off his apologetic mantra, reaching your hand out again, this time to grab his own. Giving it a firm squeeze, you continued, “Don’t ever be sorry for crying in front of me, okay? Your emotions are important and they’re valid.”

He sniffled again, a nervous laugh escaping his lips as the tears came back with a vengeance. “Nobody’s ever told me that before.”

“Then I’ll tell you it as much as you need to hear it.” You promised, taking the sleeve of your sweatshirt to dab at his cheeks. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Yukhei seemed to contemplate this for a moment as you continued cleaning up his cheeks and the stray drops that had gone under his chin and down his neck. “Uh, my family life hasn’t been the best, if you can’t guess.”

You nodded, encouraging him to continue.

“My dad and my mom got a divorce, years ago. My mom got full custody, and then remarried to a verbally abusive asshole. She… left him. She took me to my dad’s, and then left _me_. Turns out my dad hadn’t fared much better than my mom after the divorce. Instead of marrying someone abusive, _he_ had become that kind of person. Before then, the only good thing I had was visiting my grandfather. But, he was my mom’s dad, and never quite got along with my dad. So I wasn’t allowed to see him.”

As Yukhei revisited his past, his voice started shaking, and his grip on your hand tightened. But he continued on anyway, “He never hit me, my dad. Know that. He just, would yell. A lot. I had to be a man, I couldn’t cry. God forbid I ever tell him how I felt. I had to be a man. His son could never cry like a girl. I had to be a man. He always told me _'Man up, Xuxi!’_ —He preferred my Mandarin pronunciation whenever he scolded me— _'Xuxi, stop crying like a bitch! You’ve got to be a man!’_ ”

Yukhei was practically frothing at the mouth now, voice getting louder until he had angrily shouted out, as if he was channeling the dad he was describing. You flinched, instinctively pulling your hand away from his, and cursed yourself for it. His expression immediately softened, becoming worried as he drew in on himself. “I’m sorry, I didn't— I didn’t mean to yell at you. I’m not— I don't— I’m… I’m him.”

His voice cracked with that last proclamation, hands shaking. You launched yourself forward, wrapping your arms around his neck and practically tackling him back into the couch cushions as you embraced him. “No you’re not, Yukhei. You’re not him. I’m not afraid of you. You’re not him. You’re you. You’re not him. You’re you. You’re Wong Yukhei, you’re genuine, sweet, and a pain in the ass. You’re you. Not him. You.”

You could feel him nod against you, and loosened your arms to be able to look at his face. His eyes were swollen, his whole face was red from crying, and a trail of drool led from his mouth down to his chin. And he had never been more beautiful to you than now.

You were now aware of the fact that in your rush to comfort him, you had ended up just straddling him, a leg thrown over either side of him.

One of his trembling hands moved from where they had been splayed across your back, to gently caress your cheek. And then it was moving again, reaching behind your head to lace his fingers in the hair at the nape of your neck.

Neither of you moved for a moment, the only sounds were your equally erratic and syncopated breathing as Yukhei’s eyes flitted down from yours to your lips.

And then he was gently pulling your face closer to his, giving you plenty of time stop it from happening.

You didn’t.

When your lips finally met, it was in a slow, open-mouthed kiss, your lips barely touching. Letting him set the pace, he pulled your head closer to his, lips fully pressed against your own. He cautiously started moving his mouth, and you willingly followed suit.

Seconds or hours could have passed before you finally broke apart. Your eyes suddenly snapped open, and you found yourself reeling back from him frantically.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. You’re emotionally vulnerable, that wasn't— ”

“So you didn’t want to kiss me?” Yukhei looked hurt now, and you stumbled over your words as you tried to backpedal.

“No, I did— I do. But I don’t want to take advantage of you being in this state. It’d be wrong of me to—”

“Y/N,” He cut you off firmly, grabbing your hand. “I admire that, but I’ve wanted to kiss you for like, two weeks.”

You paused, “Oh.”

“So, can I kiss you again?”

“Yes.”

“Cool.”

When he brought his lips back to yours, you could feel him grinning into the kiss. It was a smile that was contagious, and soon you were both giggly messes as you went between small pecks and dizzingly passionate kisses that never lasted too long before one of you broke out into a grin or let out a light laugh.

Yukhei suddenly stopped the kisses, strong arms pulling you onto his lap, your back against his chest. He rested his cheek against your shoulder, hair just tickling at your neck. “Would it be premature or redundant if I asked you to be my girlfriend?”

“Both, and I accept.” You replied, resting your hands on the ones that were clasped together over your waist.

“Cool.”

* * *

New Year’s went better than you thought it would when you first came to the Wongs house. You expected to watch the ball drop alone with a box of pizza. But instead you rung in the New Year at the top of a hill overlooking the city lights, your lips locked with Yukhei’s, and the fireworks display completely forgotten.

“Happy New Year, Y/L/N Y/N.”

“Happy New Year, Wong Yukhei.”

* * *

Two days.

Two days until Professor Wong came back, and the blissful, wonderful, fantastical life you had with Yukhei would be over.

It all came crashing down on you as you were watching a movie with Yukhei, half on top of him and half on the couch as the two of you cuddled. He was only partially paying attention to the movie. One hand absentmindedly traced patterns along a small patch of skin just under your sweatshirt, with no intentions other than to just be feeling you here with him. The other held his phone to his face as he scrolled.

You now definitely weren’t paying attention to the movie as you fearfully thought of what you’d be doing in two days.

You would go back to your apartment, and Yukhei would presumably stay here with his grandfather. You hoped that he wouldn’t have to go back to his father.

Your classes would resume in three days, and your work would be calling you in for overtime again. You’d been in a safe bubble here with Yukhei, life had been put on pause, nothing could touch you.

But come Monday, you’d have to press the play button again, and be thrown back into your routine. A routine that didn’t include Yukhei, or left much room for him. Between school and work and your roommates, free time was a rarity. Would you even be able to see him after Sunday?

“Baby,” Fingers running through your hair caught your attention. “What movie do you want to watch next?”

You hadn’t even realized the movie had ended, too caught up in your own thoughts. Turning yourself over, you nuzzled into Yukhei’s chest, lacing your fingers through the ones that were just in your hair. “None, I just want to be here with you.”

“It’s almost eleven, you’ve got to be tired.” He commented as you closed your eyes, far too comfortable to even think about standing up to go to bed.

“So what if I am?”

“You should go to sleep, you’ve got school on Monday.”

“God, you sound like my mom when I was eleven.”

“Not your mom, just a mildly concerned boyfriend.”

“'Mildly concerned.’ Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” He had set his phone down to bring his other hand to your back, rubbing it soothingly. “But I won’t make you move if you don’t want to, I’m also pretty comfy here.”

“Good, I wouldn’t have let you move me.” You practically growled, settling further into your position, warm and content.

* * *

Those two days passed far too quickly for your taste. Professor Wong texted you at 7 am to let you know they were on the plane back, and they’d be home in about two hours. That gave you two hours to pack, have your stuff unpacked by a whining Yukhei, and then pack again.

“Yuk, you’re such a baby sometimes.” You shook your head as you zipped your suitcase closed.

He immediately reached out a hand to unzip it. “No I’m not.”

With an exasperated sigh, you zipped the suitcase again, grabbing his hand as he went to try to unzip it again. At your pleading look, he ceased his attempts, bringing your hand up to his lips, that ever persistent smirk coming back to his face as he laid a small peck across each of your fingers. “Sorry.”

“Come on, your grandparents will be here in a half hour.” You tried to take your hand back, but he merely tugged on it to press a kiss to your mouth this time.

“That’s a half hour where I can still do this.” He kissed you again, and you rolled your eyes through the flush spreading across your neck.

“Yukhei…”

“I still don’t know why we can’t tell them. They’d be delighted!”

“Because he’s my professor, that’d be weird. And I don’t want any kind of nepotism, unintentional or not. Or for him to treat me worse for some reason.”

Yukhei sighed, pulling you closer just to hug you, enveloping his long arms around you and pressing his cheek against the top of your head. “So we can’t… be us until the summer?”

“Don’t be so dramatic.” You scoffed, looking up at him and initiating the peck this time. “Your grandfather doesn’t permeate every hour of my life.”

“Okay, fine.”

When the Wongs came home, you were waiting patiently on a chair in the kitchen, Yukhei seated across the table from you. Upon hearing the door open and Professor Wong loudly announce his arrival, you stood up to greet them.

“Welcome back, Professor Wong, Mrs. Wong.” You bowed politely to them, but knew full well they didn’t even register your precense.

They were focused on Yukhei, gushing over how tall he’d gotten, how handsome he was, how long it had been since they’d seen him. You felt as if this wasn’t a scene you should watch, this wasn’t your family. But you still had to stay, to get your payment and to give a final goodbye to Yukhei. So as they conversed, you awkwardly shifted your weight between legs.

“I’m okay, Grandmother, I promise. I missed you too.” Yukhei’s eyes shined with tears as he reassured her endless worries. “Yes, I did have a wonderful stay here. Y/N and I got along very well.”

At the sound of your name, your head snapped up, and the elder Wongs seemed to have finally remembered that someone else was also in their house. Now that they were looking at you, you hastily did your greetings again.

“Y/N, thank you for taking care of our house and our Yukhei.” Mrs. Wong suddenly pulled you into a bone-crushing hug. You imagined that if it had just been the house you looked after, this would not have been the thank you you’d get.

“Of course, ma'am. Yukhei helped a lot.” You replied, trying to keep your tone neutral.

“I mean, I really didn’t, but thank you.” Yukhei pointed out, and your face finally cracked into a smile when you made eye contact with him again.

“I hope he didn’t give you too much trouble, Y/N. He was great at that when he was younger.” Professor Wong teased his grandson.

“Ah, no more trouble than _you_ cause me, sir.” You reciprocated his teasing, only making the elderly man laugh harder.

“Then these past six weeks must have been torture for you.”

“Yes, the absolute worst.”

After a bit more banter between you, the professor, and your boyfriend, you were at the front door and much richer than before. Professor Wong wasn’t exaggerating when he said you’d be compensated well, he’d given you the equivalent of what you’d make in six months at your normal job. For living in his house for seven weeks.

“Seomyi and I are going to unpack our stuff, and I have a lesson plan to try to throw together. Thank you again, Y/N.” Professor Wong gave his goodbye to you.

“Of course, sir.” You nodded, eyes caught on Yukhei. You still hadn’t given each other a proper goodbye.

“Yukhei, make sure she gets into the taxi safely.” He asked the younger man, and he practically lit up.

“I will.”

“See you tomorrow.” Your teacher gave you one final nod before walking upstairs with his wife.

Yukhei grabbed his coat off the rack by the door before opening it for you. Standing on the sidewalk in front of the house, you waited beside him. Not close enough for his taste apparently, as he felt the need to scoot closer and closer until his arms were secured around your waist. It was a familiar and comforting feeling to you now, being pressed back into his chest and tucked lovingly underneath his chin.

“Text me when you get home.” He requested, making a smile grace your lips at his concern.

“I will.”

“And call me tomorrow after your classes.”

“I will.”

“Sorry if I’m needy—”

“No, you’re really sweet, Yuk. I promise. This is going to be our first time _not_ living together, I understand.”

Yukhei laughed, “We did this backwards.”

“Just a little bit.” You agreed with a chuckle, rocking the two of you side to side slightly. “But at least now we know for future reference that we can, in fact, live together without wanting to strangle each other.”

“'For future reference’… I like the implications of that.”

The taxi pulled up to the curb, and for the first time in six weeks, you weren’t getting into it with Yukhei. It was only you entering with your suitcase, leaving him on the pavement.

Holding the door open before climbing in, you pulled on Yukhei’s collar to bring his mouth down to yours. “Bye.” You mumbled into the kiss.

“Bye.” He replied after you had released him.

“Please get in, it’s fucking freezing out there!” Your taxi driver begged, and you sheepishly obliged, shutting the door firmly.

You waved to Yukhei through the window until the taxi turned the corner and you couldn’t see him anymore.

* * *

A quarter of the way through the term, you were fully entrenched back into your normal life. School, work, more school, more work. No Yukhei.

You’d been able to briefly meet up for lunch on Valentine’s Day, but other than that you were confined to texting and calling. Even then, you were normally so tired by the time you got to speak with him that you always ended up falling asleep in the middle of the conversation. He would tell you the next morning that he didn’t mind, but _you_ still minded.

Now you were seriously starting to doubt if this would work. You cared for Yukhei, so much, and every moment you spent with him was just pure enjoyment. But maybe your life, maybe _you_ just weren’t cut out for this.

So caught up in your doubts, you didn’t even reply to his sweet good morning text before going to your first class of the day.

It was Literature, meaning that you would be seeing Professor Wong. It was strange, despite not telling him of your relationship with Yukhei, he still felt the need to update you on how was doing. According to your teacher, Yukhei was adjusting very well, and Professor Wong had gotten all of his belongings from his father’s house moved to his own. Well, almost all of them. Yukhei still didn’t have Ichio, something you also knew from Yukhei himself.

Upon entering the lecture hall, you took a seat much closer to the front and right in the center. You needed a good distraction from the angst plaguing your mind, and Professor Wong’s lecture sounded like the perfect thing.

Until partway through, he introduced the book you’d be reading and doing your next literary analysis on. It was the same book of poems Yukhei had recommended to you.

You’d told Yukhei that fate was bullshit, which you still believed, but fuck, this sure did feel like it. Professor Wong began explaining the book, and where you could get it to read, but your mind was now going at a million miles an hour, every thought of Yukhei.

Fuck it.

Roughly throwing your notebook into your bag, you hoarsely stuttered out an apology for interrupting the class, and excused yourself.

Practically running out the door, you pulled your phone out to see a spam of texts from Yukhei and several missed calls. Another one was coming in, and you immediately picked it up with cold, shaking fingers.

“Y/N! Oh thank god. When you didn’t reply to my text, I thought— I don’t know exactly what I thought, but it wasn’t good.” He rambled on, then paused as if he was waiting for a response. “Y/N? Are you there?”

“I miss you.”

“God, baby, I miss you too.”

“Are you at your grandfather’s house?”

“Actually no, which is why I wanted to call you. I went home, and I got Ichio.”

“You went back to your house? Are you okay? Yukhei…”

“He wasn’t home, I made sure of that.” Yukhei didn’t even need to name who he was speaking of.

“How close are you to the University?”

“I’m actually right at the entrance. I got a little too worried—”

“I’ll be right there.” You hung up, breaking into a sprint in the direction of the gates.

Yukhei had ventured further onto campus, meeting you partway. Skidding to a stop in front of him, you stopped him from saying anything by crushing your lips against his. You missed this, you missed _Yukhei_ so fucking much. He was caught off-guard only for a moment before reciprocating, a hand finding it’s familiar spot gripping your hip.

You broke the kiss, still not stepping back from him. “I may not believe in fate, but I believe in you.”

Recognition flickered across his face, followed by a smile filled with wonder. “You finished the poems. That’s the last line.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.” He replied with no hesitation, so fast he almost stumbled over his words.

A relieved grin spread your mouth wide, nervous laughter bubbling out of you, the both of you repeating it like a little mantra. “I love you.”

“I love you.”

“I love you.”

“I love you.”

A cold wet nose suddenly pressing up into your hand startled you, and you remembered that Yukhei had said that he had gotten Ichio. You didn’t realize he had brought him to the university.

“Well hello there.” You giggled, stroking the dog’s large and fluffy head.

“Y/N, meet Ichio.” Yukhei introduced you, and you squatted down to pet him better. His tongue lolled out in approval, stretching his neck out to get more scratches.

“Finally.”

After loving on Ichio for a little while longer, you stood up again, taking Yukhei’s free hand in yours to lead him on a walk around campus.

“So where is Ichio going to stay? You said your grandmother was dangerously allergic to dogs.” You asked with concern, not wanting the sweet mutt to to go to a pound, or back to Yukhei’s father.

“Another reason I wanted to get a hold of you.” Yukhei was practically bursting with excitement. “I got a lease on an apartment. It’s only one bedroom, but the living room has plenty of space for him, and it’s on the first floor with a door leading to the communal backyard.”

“That’s awesome! I’m so happy for you boys to have your own place!” You bumped Yukhei’s side affectionately.

“It’s not just going to be us living there hopefully. I wanted to ask you to move in there with us.”

You stopped in your tracks, turning to him in awe. “Really?”

“Really.”

“Uh, yes!”

Yukhei took your face in his free hand to kiss you once, twice, then three times. “I love you.”

“I love you.”

“So can we tell my grandfather now?”

“Ah maybe, considering we’re right outside the window of his lecture hall.”

“Oh.”

And Yukhei kissed you again.


End file.
